The television at El Tacorriendo, a family restaurant tucked behind a Mexican grocery in Sparks, begins playing a car commercial in which women's shoes fall from the sky.

My companion, a woman for whom stilettos are as essential as oxygen, suspends a chorizo taco on its journey mouthward and stares enraptured. It's the first time she hasn't been engrossed in her food since our assortment of tacos touched down.

That it takes the object of my companion's obsession to draw her attention from her plate says a lot about the tacos at El Tacorriendo. They're good, and in some cases, very good. And piled high at $1.50, they're a deal, too.

Carnitas tacos are the weakest of the bunch, tender enough, but without the thoroughly crisp exterior that distinguishes the best versions. Chorizo tacos, finely grained and zesty, are better still. And double stacked corn tortillas mounded with moist, rich lengua (tongue) are even better yet.

But the dinner winners are tacos al pastor ("shepherd's style") built from spicy marinated pork cooked with pineapple (traditional vertical rotisseries are topped with a whole pineapple). Fittingly, there's even a painting of a pineapple adjacent to the TV.

The tacos al pastor offer a light slick of oil, just sufficient to make them indulgent but not greasy.

My companion and I dunk our tacos in green and red salsas from the condiment bar, each delivering real heat. These salsa offer a change from the intriguingly mild salsa — just tomatoes, onions and cilantro, it seems — accompanying an outstanding batch of crisp, salty tortilla chips brought out before the meal.

Service at El Tacorriendo is basic but friendly — as befits a place filled with folks slurping soup and watching telenovelas (Latin soap operas) or families sharing mojarra frita (fried fish) and piles of tacos. A cold case offers bottles of horchata, the popular rice drink, and those packaged cups of red, green and white layered gelatin that Mexicans adore.

A chiles rellenos plate is better than average, with delicate, evenly applied batter and chiles that don't go mushy beneath the fork. But my party wants the filling to be cheesier and gooier (perhaps another kind of melting cheese?).

Refried beans, almost never distinguished, are accomplished as refried beans go; they're not overly processed, and they sport texture-enhancing whole beans.

Carne asada is the standard piece of steak pounded thin and grilled. The cut is fairly chewy, as at many family Mexican restaurants, and while I understand that's part of the authenticity, the dish isn't going to be for everyone. But at $9, what do you want? And the salsas are always there for the dipping.

As I drive home through the rain, the aroma of al pastor fills my car. The raindrops become so heavy, I really have to concentrate. Otherwise, the tacos might not have made it out of Sparks.